An unnatural darkness looms over Pluto's headquarters, as if space itself is holding its breath. The dim lights in the room were casting long shadows on the walls, which increased the feeling of gloom and awe. Pluto, who was circling around his second moon with slow and exhausted steps, repeating those previous words.
He looked as if he was carrying the weight of the universe on his shoulders. His blue eyes carried a sharp look, filled with doubt and questions that had not found answers yet.
Nix, the frail moon with a somewhat thin body, distinguished by his light gray hair, like a mixture between shadows and dim light, was standing in the middle of the room, looking extremely tense. His eyes were moving quickly, avoiding any direction his master intended. His body was trembling slightly, as if trying to hide something.
Pluto stopped in front of him, and looked at him with a penetrating gaze that his moon couldn't avoid, then resounded in a cold and sharp voice that made Nix shake with fear:
"You know why you're here, Nix... don't try to deny it."
Nyx clenched his fist trying to maintain his composure, then mumbled in a nervous voice:
"No... no Lord Pluto, I swear to you I didn't do anything you think! I have nothing to do with what happened!"
Pluto wasn't convinced, he was growing angrier and more suspicious with every letter coming from his moon's mouth, as he advanced towards him with quiet steps but full of weight, which made Nix's breaths more disturbed.
"Nix, you know that I know when you're lying to me," Pluto said in a quiet voice but carrying a hidden threat. The former leader wasn't satisfied with that, but continued his questions with looks that almost cut through Nix:
"Enough lying, what are you hiding?"
The recipient shook his head quickly, and the tone of his voice was full of insistence where he said with a stutter:
"I haven't hidden anything, sir. You know that I'm always honest with you!"
Pluto came closer, his voice became lower, but it was more terrifying. He took another step towards him, which increased the pressure on the entire room:
"Don't try to deceive me, Nix. You know that I know the truth. Confess!"
Nix, who was trying to stay calm, began to lose control of his nerves. His eyes filled with tears, and his voice trembled when he shouted with intense emotion:
"I didn't do anything!!! Why don't you believe me?! I've always been loyal to you, Lord Pluto!"
Pluto stopped upon seeing his moon in that state. His tears were flowing abundantly, as if trying to wash away all the doubts that were hovering around him. His hesitation crept into his depths.
Nix's look filled with pain and despair made him wonder if he had erred in his judgment. But he tried to hide those conflicting feelings.
Could it be that he was wrong? Could it be that the pressure he put on Nix was unjust? He always trusted him... so how could he betray him?
Many and many questions hover around Pluto whose head was about to explode because of them. He retreated a little, and sighed as he looked away, and waved his hand indicating the exit of his poor moon who retreated quickly, his face full of tears as he ran away with a face filled with tears that didn't stop flowing.
He was barely able to stand on his feet. He left behind a heavy silence, but something inside Pluto wasn't comfortable. No... since he expelled him... Pluto himself wasn't either.
Pluto stood alone, at the bottom of his intertwined thoughts as if living in an endless psychological conflict. But he didn't stay alone for long.
Confident steps made their way towards him, as if their owner was walking without any concern in this frightening darkness. It was the unknown who we haven't known his secret until now.
His voice carried within it a hidden sarcasm where he asked in a confident tone:
"Did your moon confess to his deed?"
Pluto raised his eyes towards him, then answered quickly in a tone devoid of emotions:
"Yes... he confessed to everything, how didn't I uncover him from the beginning.."
The unknown's eyes gleamed... but he didn't smile. On the contrary, it seemed as if there was a fleeting spark of confusion that passed over his face, but it disappeared quickly. As if he hadn't expected this answer.
Then he quickly regained his composure, and said smiling:
"Excellent, then the plan is proceeding as planned..."
Pluto noticed that well. But as usual, he didn't say anything. The unknown should have been happy to hear this, but why was he confused?
Pluto didn't respond. He remained silent, studying the situation carefully. He was in a serious thinking position that the universe had never witnessed before. His eyes carried a deep look, as if trying to dismantle all the puzzles surrounding him.
But the other interrupted his train of thought with excessive confidence:
"By the way, the beam is in its final stage. Soon, it will be ready."
Pluto looked away for a moment, then muttered to himself but in an audible voice:
"At least... there's something good going according to plan."
But, despite his attempt to ignore the matter...
Why was he confused?
Did he really tell the truth? Or was Nyx cleverly playing with his emotions?
Doubt began to penetrate deeper... and the shadows moving in the dark never left his heart.
———⟡ ☽ ⟡———
The atmosphere in the place was peaceful and calm, where endless greenery and flowers adorning it with their different colors, swaying gently with the gentle breeze. The sun was shining gently, as if painting a canvas of bright colors on the ground.
In the midst of this natural beauty, Mars and Earth were heading towards each other with confident steps, and a smile that never left their faces. That smile carried within it something of challenge and optimism, as if they knew that something big was about to happen.
Suddenly, they stopped in their place. Their gazes rose towards the sky, where something huge was looming on the horizon. That thing seemed as if it was pointing to the end of something and the beginning of something else.
Mars and Earth exchanged a quick look, then said at the same time, as if reciting words engraved in their memory:
"The possibilities have narrowed... only the two of them remain."
Their words carried within them a hidden tension, as if they knew that the real battle was about to begin and that the game that had lasted long would end soon.
So what did the two rocky leaders discover?
— End of Chapter —